It is debated throughout the season.
Even more so now that Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing in Super Bowl LV while Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots sit at home after an overwhelming 2020 campaign.
Who is more responsible for the Patriots dynasty: Brady or Belichick?
One could argue that Brady corrected the argument with his excellent performance as Tampa Bay’s quarterback. But let’s look at the Brady-Belichick connection through another lens, namely related to the allure of playing for New England, still coached by Belichick.
For years, players across the NFL wanted to play for the Patriots, the league’s most successful franchise. This trend may stop squirming with Brady no longer in New England.
Rex Ryan, former head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, argued Sunday before the Bucs’ NFC championship victory over the Green Bay Packers that Brady, not Belichick, has always been the biggest attraction in Foxboro.
“I just have to say, you do not miss it. No one wanted to go to New England to be coached by Bill Belichick. They wanted to play with Tom Brady, ‘Ryan said on ESPN’s NFL Countdown. ‘I mean, part of this is Belichick, but to play with Tom Brady. Why? It is why you’re going to win! And no quarter wanted to go to New England, I can assure you. ”
Does Rex have a point?
Brady’s arrival in Tampa Bay signaled a positive cultural shift for the Bucs organization. Suddenly, the once bad franchise became a popular destination. Call it the TB12 effect.
The question is whether the opposite will eventually be said for New England, where Brady’s retirement leaves Belichick as the team’s main attraction.
The Patriots ’roster needs a facelift, especially in the quarterback position, and playing for Belichick may not seem as appealing to free agents and potential trade-offs as it used to be.
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